Deals

LAST UPDATED: 10/29/2023

If you are interested purchasing your own equipment, here are some thoughts and links to consider:

Concerning classic skis, look for WAXABLE. Do you purchase fish scale or skin skis.

Concerning ski length: it is VERY important that the ski length fits your skier's weight! If you expect your skier to gain weight over the next 2 years, aim to get a length where the current body weight is at the lower end. You will probably need to go to the manufacturer's website to find the ski length corresponding to body weight. Be sure to look up the correct model, and don't assume that a length of one model correlates to the same weight range on another model.

Brands:

Fischer: is by far the best brand out there; pricing is always high - definitely not a budget ski. Nearly all pro skier use Fischer skis.

Models to be considered in order: Aorolite 60-90 (developing racer with a budget, as low as $300 with bindings, the higher the number the better the ski), RCS Skate (best budget, great race ski, few years ago was the highest end ski, maybe $550'ish?), Carbonlite or Speed Max (if you can afford it, go for it! $800++, SpeedMax is the best ski you can purchase, with the demand on the skier being low (meaning you don't have to be a really good skier to use this ski well))

Rossignol: After Fischer the next best brand. Pricing can be very competitive.

Models to consider: Delta (developing racer with a true budget limit, package deal with binding and boots for under $500), X-IUM (great ski, pricing can really differ; below is a link for $385 with bindings - those are brand new but made 3 years ago),

Salomon: this French company has a long tradition in the ski market. Most of our skiers last year were on entry level Atomics. They gave RS7 (Skate) and RC7 (Classic) skis. These skis are entry level for racing and lack robustness - so if you are a heavy or powerful skier this might not be the right choice. I don't like Salomon bindings because they are hard to use on a wax table due to the long lever. However, Salomon skis are competitively priced and they have a range of skis for all levels and budget. Jessie Diggins is sponsord by Salomon and races on their top line ski. The RS ski models are considered "endurance" by Salomon, and the S/ models are considered race skis.

Model: RS7 / RC7 (entry level budget); RS8 (upgrade from RS7), RS10 (intermediate), S/Max (advanced), S/Race, and top end S/Lab Carbon (extremely light, low lying, super fast; superior in direct power transmission)

Atomic: better known in the downhill community, Atomic used to be a very successful brand in Nordic skiing but in recent years they became more fringe.

Models: Pro S1 (beginner), Rester S5, Redstar S9/C9 (top).

Madsush: This Norwegian company isn't as known in the US. I never tried them because I don't like the company name, which is obviously a bad reason to not consider.

Models: Active Skate/Classic, Active Pro, Race Pro, Endurance line, Redline (glides well on flat terrain - great for less technical less powerful individuals).

Kaestle: They showed up in Casper at the ski swap. They are trying to enter the Nordic ski market. I haven't tried them but reviews look very promising. The RX10 is light; Ideally you are a powerful skier to make use of them.

Excellent HIGH END classic ski with binding $385 (usually $700++):

https://www.skiessentials.com/products/2020-rossignol-x-ium-classic-premium-c3-ski-w-race-classic-bindings?ski%2520size=190

Fischer Speedmax Skate ($536 w/out bindings):

https://omcgear.com/fischer-speedmax-3d-classic-plus-902-race-ski-187-medium-past-season/

Fischer SCS Skate package (skis, bindings, COMBI boots, poles) $585:

https://www.gearwest.com/collections/ski-packages/products/intermediate-skate-ski-package-combi-boot

Note: You would only need one type of boots rather than classic and skate specific boots. However, I highly recommend to consider upgrading the package to a specific boot if you can afford it.

Rossignol Delta Sport Classic ($155 w/out bindings, or $389 ski/binding/poles, or $489 with bindings, poles, and boots):

https://www.backcountry.com/rossignol-delta-sport-classic-ski

https://www.gearwest.com/collections/ski-packages/products/intermediate-classic-waxable-add-on

https://www.skiessentials.com/products/2023-rossignol-delta-sport-classic-skis-w-rossignol-x-6-sc-boot-and-poles?ski%2520size=184&boot%2520size=36%2520eu&pole%2520size=120%2520cm

Rossignol Delta Sport Skate ($339 Skate skis no binding, or $489 total package with bindings, boots, poles):

https://www.backcountry.com/rossignol-delta-sport-skating-r-skate-ski-2024
https://www.skiessentials.com/products/2023-rossignol-delta-sport-skate-skis-w-rossignol-x6-sc-boots-and-poles?

Rossignol XIUM Classic with bindings/poles/boots ($950) [high end]:

https://pioneermidwest.com/products/intermediate-rossi-waxable-classic-package

Salomon RS7 Skate with binding, no boots/poles ($259) or with bindings/poles/boots ($440 or $499):

https://www.backcountry.com/salomon-rs-7-ski-with-prolink-access-binding-2022

https://www.gearwest.com/collections/ski-packages/products/beginner-skate-ski-package-with-combi-boot

https://pioneermidwest.com/products/start-skating-package